This invention relates to a uniform developing method of a film for use in an automatic developer.
In an automatic developer a film light-exposed is processed consecutively by passing it through developing, fixing and washing vessels. In this case, as the development proceeds, the activity of the developing solution in the developing vessel is lowered. Accordingly, when a long film is processed at a fixed speed in such an automatic developer, the finishes of the first and the last parts of the film are different, resulting in uneven reproduction pictures, which deteriorates the quality of the film finished.
In the prior art, while the film is developed, the depression of the activity of the developing solution is prevented by supplementing the fresh developing solution little by little, thereby making the development of the film uniform.
However, in this method, it is difficult to grasp the necessary amount of the fresh developing solution corresponding to the lowering of the activity of the developing solution and the timing of the supplementation of the fresh developing solution. Further, the fresh developing solution supplemented should be mixed uniformly with the previous developing solution immediately. In this case, after finishing the developing of the film, the developing solution still having the activity enough to develop the film will be drained away when there is no further film to be developed, which is quite uneconomical.